Hurd has supported raising the retirement age, voted to turn Medicare into a "voucherlike" program , and even voted to force seniors to pay up to $1,500 more a year for prescription drugs. He voted to block a bill designed to stop the House from cutting Social Security and Medicare, and then voted to blow a $1.9 trillion hole in the deficit that Republicans say they will cut Social Security and Medicare to pay for.

2014: Hurd Suggested Raising the Social Security Retirement Age. "The candidates differed when it came to solutions for Social Security. Lowry called it a "Ponzi scheme. Because the government does it, people think it is OK, but it's not. Nobody will see a dime of it under age 35.' He advocates letting people determine whether they want to participate in Social Security. "If you are 35 and want to be out - you're out,' he said. "If you are around 50, you [would] be able to save and invest it and do better than what social security is going to give you.' Hurd, on the other hand appeared less willing to discount its need altogether. "Social security is crucial [to those who rely on it]. We have to stop raiding the trust fund,' he said. Hurd said that hard choices will have to be made to strengthen the program, including looking at increasing the age of retirement and ensuring that "guys like Warren Buffet" aren't receiving benefits." [saraforamerica.com, 1/17/14]

Hurd Voted For Blocking Legislation That Would Prevent The House From Raising The Retirement Age For Social Security. In May 2017, Hurd voted for: "Woodall, R-Ga., motion to order the previous question (thus ending debate and possibility of amendment.)" According to the Democratic Leader's office, the motion blocked legislation to "restrict consideration of any bill, joint resolution, motion, amendment, or conference report that: (1) cuts social security benefits, (2) raises the retirement age for social security, (3) privatizes social security, (4) cuts guaranteed medicare benefits, or (5) results in cuts to state medicaid plan benefits or eligibility." A vote for the previous question was a vote to block the legislation prohibiting the House from cutting these programs. The previous question carried, 229-191. [H Res 348, Vote #271, 5/23/17; CQ, 5/23/17; DemocraticLeader.gov, 5/23/17]

Hurd Voted For FY16 Republican Budget To Repeal The Affordable Care Act And End The Medicare Guarantee. In March 2015, Hurd voted for the FY16 Republican House budget that "includes parliamentary language, called reconciliation that orders House committees to draft legislation repealing the Affordable Care Act. Under budget rules, that reconciliation repeal bill cannot be filibustered in the Senate and would need only a majority vote to pass. The budget would turn Medicaid into block grants to the states, cutting health care spending for the poor by $900 billion. The food stamp program would also be turned into block grants and cut by hundreds of billions of dollars. Special education, Pell Grants, job training and housing assistance would all be cut. Medicare would transition to a system where future seniors would be encouraged to use government-funded vouchers to purchase insurance in the private market." The resolution passed 228 to 199. [H. Con Res. 27, Vote #142, 3/25/15; CQ, 3/25/15; New York Times, 3/25/15]

New York Times: 2015 House GOP Budget Would Turn Medicare Into A "Voucherlike" Program. "House Budget Committee members previewed their plans in an unusual, campaign-style video on Monday. The plan envisions a remaking of the federal government. Future recipients of Medicare would be offered voucherlike "premium support' to pay for private insurance rather than government-provided health care. Spending on Medicaid would be cut substantially over 10 years, with the money turned into block grants to state governments, which in turn would have much more flexibility in deciding how it is allocated." [New York Times, 3/16/15]

ACA Closes The Medicare "Prescription Drug "Doughnut Hole' By 2020." "How does the ACA affect the Medicare program? ... The ACA also contains provisions that improve benefits, providing free coverage for some preventive benefits, and closing the coverage gap in the Part D prescription drug "doughnut hole' by 2020." [Kaiser Family Foundation, 9/10/12]

Medicare "Doughnut Hole" Made Seniors Pay Up To $1,500 For Prescription Drugs Before Medicare Benefits Kicked Back In. "Also lost in the debate are the improvements in Medicare that the legislation hopes to bring about - namely the effort to shrink the so-called doughnut hole in the Medicare Part D prescription drug program. Under the current program, Medicare beneficiaries have most of the costs of their prescription drugs paid for until they hit a threshold, about $2,700. Then they must pay the full costs of the drugs, spending about $1,500 out of pocket, until they hit the next threshold and coverage kicks back in." [Las Vegas Sun, 10/04/09]

Hurd Voted For Blocking Legislation That Would Prevent The House From Cutting Social Security, Medicare, Or Medicaid. In May 2017, Hurd voted for: "Woodall, R-Ga., motion to order the previous question (thus ending debate and possibility of amendment.)" According to the Democratic Leader's office, the motion blocked legislation to "restrict consideration of any bill, joint resolution, motion, amendment, or conference report that: (1) cuts social security benefits, (2) raises the retirement age for social security, (3) privatizes social security, (4) cuts guaranteed medicare benefits, or (5) results in cuts to state medicaid plan benefits or eligibility." A vote for the previous question was a vote to block the legislation prohibiting the House from cutting these programs. The previous question carried, 229-191. [H Res 348, Vote #271, 5/23/17; CQ, 5/23/17; DemocraticLeader.gov, 5/23/17]

Hurd Voted For Adopting The Conference Report Of The Tax Cuts And Jobs Act. In December 2017, 227 Republicans voted for: adoption of the conference report on the bill that would revise the federal income tax system by lowering the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent; lowering individual tax rates through 2025; limiting state and local deductions to $10,000 through 2025; decreasing the limit on deductible mortgage debt through 2025; and creating a new system of taxing U.S. corporations with foreign subsidiaries. Specifically, it would repeal personal exemptions and would roughly double the standard deduction through 2025. It would raise the child tax credit to $2,000 through 2025, would repeal the alternative minimum tax for corporations and provide for broader exemptions to the tax for individuals through 2025. It would double individual exemptions to the estate tax and gift tax through 2025, and would establish a new top tax rate for 'pass-through' business income through 2025." The conference report was adopted 227-203. [HR 1, Vote #692, 12/19/17; CQ Floor Votes, 12/19/17]

CBO Estimated The Tax Cuts And Jobs Act Would Increase The Deficit By $1.9 Trillion Over 10 Years. "The GOP's signature tax law is projected to increase the national debt by $1.9 trillion between 2018 and 2028, according to a new report by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). According to the report, the tax law would cost the government $2.3 trillion in revenues, but economic growth would offset that figure by about $461 billion." [The Hill, 4/9/18]

Ryan: "We Have To Address Entitlements. Otherwise, We Can't Really Get Our Handle On Our Future Debt." "NORAH O`DONNELL: --will Congress take up entitlement spending next year? REPRESENTATIVE PAUL RYAN: Yes. We will. And Bob and I actually see a lot of these things very similarly. We have to address entitlements. Otherwise, we can`t really get our handle on our future debt. There`s two things you need to do to get the debt under control so that our kids and grandkids get a debt-free nation. Number one, grow the economy. This tax cut bill will help do that. Number two, reform entitlement programs. We`re-- it`s unfortunate that our health care bill which passed the House last May didn`t get through the Senate, but we need to revisit that issue because that`s key entitlement reform. And then back to the welfare issue." [CBS This Morning, 12/20/17]

US News: "The Most Likely Targets For Cuts And Restructuring In The Coming Months Are Likely To Be Medicare And Social Security Benefits." "Instead, the most likely targets for cuts and restructuring in the coming months are likely to be Medicare and Social Security benefits. Rubio last week indicated "the driver of our debt is the structure of Social Security and Medicare for future beneficiaries.' Ryan issued a similar assessment just a few days later, noting that "health care entitlements ... are the big drivers of our debt.'" [US News, 12/7/17]